Graduation Year
Spring 2011
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
History
Reader 1
Lisa Cody
Rights Information
© 2011 Amy Jacobson
Abstract
In my thesis, I examine the racial history of New Orleans, Louisiana, through the lens of Mardi Gras. After the introduction, I begin with the history of the celebration and its European origin, in chapter two. Then, I move onto the discovery of New Orleans. In chapter three I look at the 1811 slave rebellion in New Orleans, which was the largest in United States' history. In chapter four I explore race and Mardi Gras in the nineteenth century, and the same in chapter five, but in the twentieth century. In chapter six I look at the twenty-first century in New Orleans, and Hurricane Katrina, in particular. In sum, I argue that the practice of Mardi Gras and the existence of racial conflict both separate and unite the New Orleanian community, producing the attitude and identity of the “New Orleanian.”
Recommended Citation
Jacobson, Amy M., "Hiding Behind the Mask of Contradiction: A Study of Mardi Gras and Race in New Orleans" (2011). CMC Senior Theses. 162.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/162
